Triple vents give this jacket lots of airflow for warmer days

Email to a Friend

Your Email

Your Name

Your Friend's Email

Subject of Email

Your Message (optional)

Send Email

Cancel

I was excited to review Harley-Davidson’s new Miss Enthusiast leather jacket for Women Riders Now. As someone who rides year round in a colder climate, I am always interested to learn about new gear that might fit my needs. Also, as a plus-sized woman, it is often difficult to find riding gear in appropriate sizes.

Harley-Davidson offers the Miss Enthusiast in standard sizes (XS, S, M, L, XL and 2XL), but the company has gone a step further offering this in 1W, 2W and 3W as well. There are also the additional sizing options of Tall and Petite sizes S through XL. Thank you Harley-Davidson for accommodating such a wide range of sizes for women.

I wore the Miss Enthusiast jacket all summer in various kinds of weather while riding my 2006 Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe for this review.

When I took this jacket out of the packaging, I noticed right away that the leather was of good quality and soft enough to require no break-in period. The styling is eye-catching without being over-the-top, with just the right amount of Harley-Davidson badging.

There are two deep hip pockets with zippers, and one inner zippered pocket. Because I’m used to putting my wallet in one inside pocket and my phone in the other when wearing my other leather jacket, I missed having an additional interior pocket with this jacket. It’s too bulky to put both a wallet and phone in one interior pocket. Certainly those can be put in the outside pockets though.

The upper portion of the chest and back—as well as the back waist area—have a quilted top-stitching, which enhances the look of the jacket. I chose a 3W for size based on Harley-Davidson’s sizing chart. The jacket fits true to size and leaves me room to wear a sweatshirt underneath, which is good because this jacket is a lighter to mid-weight leather with no liner.

As a bustier woman with broad shoulders, I was pleasantly surprised by the room provided in the shoulders by the action back and pre-curved sleeves. There was no pinching or pulling across my back even with my arms crossed, and the sleeves are long enough that they don’t ride up when I’m grasping the handlebars.

For further customization of the fit, the jacket has snap tabs at the waist area, and hip release zippers toward the back. The Miss Enthusiast jacket fits well and is long enough to cover the lower back and hips while riding.

The interior of the jacket leaves little to be desired for the money. There is only a light mesh liner with no option to add a liner that zips in as I mentioned before. The jacket is roomy enough to allow the addition of your own extra layer though.

There are pockets in this jacket that allow the addition of optional riding armor at the elbows, shoulders, and back. The armor is not included with the jacket, but may be purchased separately.

I had never ridden with armor in my riding gear before, so I was intrigued by the idea of trying it out. I found the kind of lightweight CE-approved armor that Harley-Davidson offers very flexible and unobtrusive. I really didn’t notice it at all.

However, it is slightly more challenging to store the jacket on the motorcycle when not in use. The jacket doesn’t fold as easily nor does it pack down small with the armor in it. I recommend springing for the armor though, as it’s nice to have that added protection in the impact zones should I go down. The armor for the shoulders and elbows is the same, so you’ll need two packs of two pieces. Each set costs $25. The back armor costs $35.

I’ll be honest here, I don’t normally wear a jacket on a warm day; however, knowing temps would reach the mid-80s, I was actually excited to test the venting on the Miss Enthusiast on a 250-mile ride. I half expected I’d need to take off the jacket when it got really hot. However, I opened all three vents in Harley’s patent-pending “Triple Vent System” on each side along the torso, as well as the vent under each arm and they worked really well.

Showing off the three vents that are open here.

These vents have been engineered in a wind tunnel for maximum airflow through the jacket. Even on a hot day, I was not uncomfortably warm in the Miss Enthusiast and did notice the air flowing through to keep me cool.

On another day, I set out on a ride in the morning while the temperature was in the 40s. I chose to wear my gauntlet gloves to prevent air from going up my jacket sleeve. However, I found that the gusset at the sleeve is too thick to comfortably wear the gauntlet gloves over the top of the sleeve, and a little too tight to be able to slide the gauntlet underneath easily.

To be comfortable in the cooler morning temperatures, I definitely needed to add an additional layer under the Miss Enthusiast, which surprisingly does not come with any kind of liner, as mentioned previously. Can you tell yet that this peeves me?

Also, while the jacket will repel water for a short time, it is definitely not water resistant or waterproof. But it does dry out rather quickly, as I discovered one rainy afternoon ride.

Overall, this is a great jacket with a variety of features. The triple vent system makes this black leather jacket versatile in those extremely warm weather conditions. But know that this definitely is not a jacket for cold weather riding. If you plan to use it for riding in a wide variety of temperatures, don’t forget to pack a fleece liner jacket.

With a steep price tag of $450 (although on par for Harley-Davidson MotorClothes), I would have appreciated a zip-in liner. Additionally, to encourage more riders to wear armor, I suggest that Harley-Davidson provide the armor at no additional cost.

Reader Comments

Great review! Thank you for the honest review. As a plus size rider I hate wearing jackets because they either don't fit my bust area or aren't long enough in the back. You gave a great description, very much appreciated.

Terri Timm
Gilbert, AZ
Saturday, September 30, 2017

Thanks for this review! So freakin' happy to see plus-sized modeled! At first I thought your moniker was Miss Enthusiast! Then realized it's the name of the jacket.

Great review. I do agree with you they should give you options with liners. I just saw at my local dealership Harley has the FXRG cold weather gear for women. Don't know about the sizing. Looking for more reviews from you.

Michele Tomasicchio
New Paltz, NY
Friday, September 29, 2017

Great review. Thank you for all the detail and pictures. Appreciate your honesty.

Debra Yates
Louisville, KY
Friday, September 29, 2017

Loading…

Your thoughts on this article

Your Name

Email (kept private)

City

Country

Loading…

Afghanistan

Aland Islands

Albania

Algeria

American Samoa

Andorra

Angola

Anguilla

Antarctica

Antigua and Barbuda

Argentina

Armenia

Aruba

Australia

Austria

Azerbaijan

Bahamas

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Barbados

Belarus

Belgium

Belize

Benin

Bermuda

Bhutan

Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Bouvet Island

Brazil

British Indian Ocean Territory

Brunei Darussalam

Bulgaria

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cambodia

Cameroon

Canada

Cape Verde

Cayman Islands

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

China

Christmas island

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Colombia

Comoros

Congo

Congo, The Democratic Republic of the

Cook Islands

Costa Rica

Côte D'ivoire

Croatia

Cuba

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark

Djibouti

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Estonia

Ethiopia

Falkland Islands (Malvinas)

Faroe Islands

Fiji

Finland

France

French Guiana

French Polynesia

French Southern Territories

Gabon

Gambia

Georgia

Germany

Ghana

Gibraltar

Greece

Greenland

Grenada

Guadeloupe

Guam

Guatemala

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Guyana

Haiti

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

Honduras

Hong Kong

Hungary

Iceland

India

Indonesia

Iran, Islamic Republic of

Iraq

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Jamaica

Japan

Jordan

Kazakhstan

Kenya

Kiribati

Korea, Democratic People's Republic of

Korea, Republic of

Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan

Lao People's Democratic Republic

Latvia

Lebanon

Lesotho

Liberia

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Macao

Macedonia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of

Madagascar

Malawi

Malaysia

Maldives

Mali

Malta

Marshall Islands

Martinique

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mayotte

Mexico

Micronesia, Federated States of

Moldova, Republic of

Monaco

Mongolia

Montserrat

Morocco

Mozambique

Myanmar

Namibia

Nauru

Nepal

Netherlands

Netherlands Antilles

New Caledonia

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

Niue

Norfolk Island

Northern Mariana Islands

Norway

Oman

Pakistan

Palau

Palestinian Territory, Occupied

Panama

Papua New Guinea

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Pitcairn

Poland

Portugal

Puerto Rico

Qatar

Réunion

Romania

Russian Federation

Rwanda

Saint Helena

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

San Marino

Sao Tome and Principe

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Serbia and Montenegro

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Singapore

Slovakia

Slovenia

Solomon Islands

Somalia

South Africa

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Spain

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Suriname

Svalbard and Jan Mayen

Swaziland

Sweden

Switzerland

Syrian Arab Republic

Taiwan, Province of China

Tajikistan

Tanzania, United Republic of

Thailand

Timor-Leste

Togo

Tokelau

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Turks and Caicos Islands

Tuvalu

Uganda

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

United States

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

Vanuatu

Vatican City State

Venezuela

Viet Nam

Virgin Islands, British

Virgin Islands, U.S.

Wallis and Futuna

Western Sahara

Yemen

Zambia

Zimbabwe

State/Province

Loading…

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

District of Columbua

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Puerto Rico

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virgin Islands

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

Comments

Image(s)

Allowed File Extensions:.jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .bmp, .png

Anti-Spam Question:Please enter the words you see in the box, in order and separated by a space.
Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this service.

Submit

Clear

Please Wait…

Beginners Guide

We’ve put together the most comprehensive guide for women who are ready to venture into the world of motorcycling. View our Guides

Stay Connected with WRN!

Be the first to know when we post a new story and announce product giveaways. Sign up today!